Furrin lookin’ and queer. Her father’s a doctor in New York, but he can’t be much of a one ‘cause she didn’t bring no money when Ezra married her.

SETH —(his face growing grim — sharply ) Never mind her. We ain’t talkin’ ‘bout her. (then abruptly changing the subject ) Wal, I’ve got to see Vinnie. I’m goin’ round by the kitchen. You wait here. And if Ezra’s wife starts to run you off fur trespassin’, you tell her I got permission from Vinnie to show you round. (He goes off around the corner of the house, left. The three stare about them gawkily, awed and uncomfortable. They talk in low voices. )

LOUISA — Seth is so proud of his durned old Mannons! I couldn’t help givin’ him a dig about Ezra’s wife.

AMES — Wal, don’t matter much. He’s allus hated her.

LOUISA — Ssshh! Someone’s comin’ out. Let’s get back here! (They crowd to the rear of the bench by the lilac clump and peer through the leaves as the front door is opened and Christine Mannon comes out to the edge of the portico at the top of the steps. Louisa prods her cousin and whispers excitedly ) That’s her! (Christine Mannon is a tall striking-looking woman of forty but she appears younger. She has a fine, voluptuous figure and she moves with a flowing animal grace. She wears a green satin dress, smartly cut and expensive, which brings out the peculiar color of her thick curly hair, partly a copper brown, partly a bronze gold, each shade distinct and yet blending with the other. Her face is unusual, handsome rather than beautiful. One is struck at once by the strange impression it gives in repose of being not living flesh but a wonderfully life-like pale mask, in which only the deep-set eyes, of a dark violet blue, are alive. Her black eyebrows meet in a pronounced straight line above her strong nose. Her chin is heavy, her mouth large and sensual, the lower lip full, the upper a thin bow, shadowed by a line of hair. She stands and listens defensively, as if the music held some meaning that threatened her. But at once she shrugs her shoulders with disdain and comes down the steps and walks off toward the flower garden, passing behind the lilac clump without having noticed Ames and the women. )

MINNIE —(in an awed whisper ) My! She’s awful handsome, ain’t she?

LOUISA — Too furrin lookin’ fur my taste.

MINNIE — Ayeh. There’s somethin’ queer lookin’ about her face.

AMES — Secret lookin’—’s if it was a mask she’d put on. That’s the Mannon look. They all has it. They grow it on their wives. Seth’s growed it on too, didn’t you notice — from bein’ with ’em all his life. They don’t want folks to guess their secrets.

MINNIE —(breathlessly eager ) Secrets?

LOUISA — The Mannons got skeletons in their closets same as others! Worse ones. (lowering her voice almost to a whisper — to her husband ) Tell Minnie about old Abe Mannon’s brother David marryin’ that French Canuck nurse girl he’d got into trouble.

AMES — Ssshh! Shet up, can’t you? Here’s Seth comin’. (But he whispers quickly to Minnie ) That happened way back when I was a youngster. I’ll tell you later.